The cancer patient pictured in an emotional embrace with Princess Kate in hospital this week has opened up about the hug.
Rebecca Mendlesohn, 57, was one of several patients at London’s Royal Marsden Hospital with whom Kate engaged during her visit there on Tuesday. The princess received treatment there herself amid her cancer journey last year, and is only now able to ease herself back to royal duties.
But the exchange with Ms Mendlesohn, affectionately known to mates as Becks, dominated media attention as the hug the pair shared appeared so warm. Now, Ms Mendlesohn herself has expressed just how “genuine” she felt it was – even if it was a chance encounter as the woman had no idea the royal was visiting.
A source close to Ms Mendlesohn, who is on a trial for secondary cancer – breast and liver, said her friend had stopped to take a breather amid her treatment when Kate happened to pass along the corridor.
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The friend told the Daily Mail : “Since Becks’s hair is only just beginning to grow back, the princess recognised her as a fellow cancer traveller, so stopped and – much to Becks’s surprise – just hugged her.
“Becks told me: ‘There’s a hug and there’s a hug. It was so genuine I knew she was feeling my pain and I was feeling hers. It was very emotional, heartfelt and warm. I felt the love. We felt for each other.'”
“Was it set up? Becks, full name Rebecca Mendlesohn, replied no, it happened by accident. She’d taken a breather outside during her cancer treatment and when she got back inside Kate was passing through the ward.”
Princess Kate was pictured talking to Katherine Field at The Royal Marsden Hospital
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Following the visit, Kate, 43, confirmed she is in remission from cancer. It was with this strength Kate was able to comfort others who have been diagnosed with cancer. The hospital, of which Princess Kate and Prince William are now joint patrons, said her visit was “inspiring for staff and patients”.
At one point, the Princess had her hand near the knee of patient, looking straight into her eyes, and the woman, Katherine Field, was laughing.
Ms Field, 45, was wearing a cold cap during her chemotherapy to preserve her hair and used a “port” mechanism to deliver medicine into her arm and chest. In this poignant exchange, Kate gestured to her own arm and chest.
She told Ms Field: “I got so attached to it,” joking that she had hesitated when finally told “you can have it taken out” now. The Princess of Wales is not thought to have used a cold cap herself.